Tabitha's POV
When I woke up the next morning, I learned that Derek had already left. I also noticed that there were more werewolf guards than before.
Feeling like I needed to go check on Klein, I was about to have someone get the car ready.
But Spike rushed over and stopped me. "Tabitha, Alpha Derek said you shouldn't leave the villa until you give birth."
"But..."
"He's doing this for your safety. If you have any questions, just ask him."
I thought back to last night when my pups were kicking like crazy—it freaked me out and made me think I was gonna lose them.
Since Derek did this for my sake, I didn't argue about it. Cradling my baby bump, I headed back to my room.
Just as I walked in, Derek's call came through. I picked it up, saying, "Hey."
"Klein got the autopsy results. Early this morning, he took the remains back for a funeral. I had someone escort him all the way to the airport, so you don't have to worry about it. Before he left, he asked me to thank you. You helped him a lot," Derek told me.
Well, he guessed what was on my mind before I even said anything.
"So what did they find in the autopsy?"
"Just like you said—the gunshot wound to the chest was fatal. Fortunately, she didn't suffer any other pain before she died; it was a quick death. This matter is now settled. Tabitha, from today onwards, you don't have to worry about anything. Just focus on taking care of yourself and the babies."
"Okay," I said.
"I won't bother you during this period."
I remained silent, not knowing what to say. Derek said nothing, either, patiently waiting for me to end the call first.
"Thanks, Derek," I finally whispered before hanging up.
Then, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I returned Klein's favor, saving his family from all those searches.
"Tabitha, are you feeling better today? Is your belly still hurting?" asked Joanna beside me.
"I'm much better today. How about you? How did it go meeting that Austin yesterday?"
As soon as I mentioned that name, her face went pink. She nodded coyly at me, saying, "He's as handsome as always, like drop-dead gorgeous!"
"Look at you, a love-struck fool. Any progress to share?" I asked with great interest.
Joanna quickly waved her hand. "No, I picked him up from the airport, that's all. He brought me a gift, but I didn't even have the courage to take it. When he offered to send me home, I turned him down, worrying I might expose our address."
I nodded approvingly. "Smart girl. It's best not to accept things from guys until things are more official between you two."
"That's exactly what I thought," she echoed as she sat on the swing, her legs dangling in the air, swaying back and forth like a child.
"But honestly, after not seeing him for years, he feels like a totally different person now," she added.
"Hmm? So you mean you're disillusioned with him?"
"Nah, it's just that I feel he has become more mature, while I am still as naive as before. There is some sort of generation gap between us," she admitted with a sigh.
I chuckled and said, "He's only three years older than you. Not much of a generation gap. It's actually good for a man to be mature, as he'll know how to take care of others better. Nothing to worry about as long as he's a decent man."
"He's super decent, I can assure you that. I feel like he's the best person I've ever met," Joanna exclaimed.
"Spend more time with him then," I encouraged. "Take your time knowing each other better."
We'd got tech whizzes here setting everything up anyway. Whether we were chatting online or sharing locations, the IP addresses were always changing and all fake. No one could track us down.
Joanna gave a sheepish smile, saying, "Thanks, Tabitha."
"Hope you win his heart soon," I teased as I got up and walked to Dad's room.
I placed the moonstone necklace set I obtained from the auction yesterday into his hand, murmuring, "Dad, look, I brought these back. I'll give one to each of my pups so we can pass them down properly. You can rest assured."
As soon as I finished speaking, however, his heart rate dropped rapidly.
"Doctor, help!" I shouted, panicked.